Sign



R. L. MARTEN June 7, 1938.

SIGN

Filed Feb. 27, 1937 Z/VVENTOE Hazy/Wand A. Mpzrfe/v, 5% 3/674 flTTOEA/EYPatented June 7, 1938 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates generally to display apparatus, and moreparticularly to an improved sign or attraction board especiallyapplicable for use in connection with theatres for advertising featurepresentations which are periodically changed.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved sign of thecharacter described which furnishes a highly attractive display ofadvertising or other informative media when illuminated by natural lightduring the day, or electrically, by luminous discharge tubes at night.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sign of this characterwhich is designed and constructed to permit the letters or other indiciato be readily removed and replaced when it is desired to change thedisplay.

The sign or display device embodying the invention, essentiallycomprises a louvered background structure constituted by a series ofparallel, inclined plates. The plates, disposed one above another inspaced relation, are adapted to reflect day-light, or light fromluminous discharge tubes mounted between the plates, to ward anobserver. Opaque sign characters, mounted immediately forwardly of thebackground structure in a novel manner so as to be easily removed orinterchanged, appear in silhouette against the highly illuminated andcontrasting background. The reflecting plates tend to reduce the glarenormally accompanying direct illumination by discharge tubes and providea brilliant, yet softly lighted background for the display characterswhich does not discomfort the observer.

Signs of the character described as heretofore designed and constructedhave certain disadvantages, overcome by the present invention, whichdetract from the general usefulness and attractiveness thereof. Forexample, in the signs of former construction the angular arrangement ofthe reflector plates is such as to provide little or no protection tothe luminous discharge tubes, the tubes being readily susceptible ofinjury as by hail and sleet. When such signs are mounted overhead, as ona theatre canopy over a side-walk, a highly desirable location for thesigns, light from the sun gives a'dull or grayish cast to the plateswhich detracts from the ef fectiveness of the sign, since the contrastbetween the background and sign characters is not pronounced. Moreover,when such signs are illuminated by the discharge tubes, all of the lightrays are deflected upwardly or intercepted by the reflector plates,being lost for any useful purpose except to illuminate the signbackground structure, whereas with my improved sign construction lightdirectly from the tubes serves to illuminate the side-walk or the likeimmediately below the sign, this being very desirable where the sign isused in connection with theatres.

Another disadvantageous feature inherent in former signs of louveredtype is that the louvers tend to collect dirt, ice and rain water whichimpair their light-reflecting quality. In my improved sign the louversare arranged to shed all ice, moisture and foreign matter.

A further object of my invention is to increase the range of readabilityof an overhead sign of the character described, or to provide a sign ofthis type which can be easily read by an observer at a distance from thesign or directly below the same.

These and other objects and advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description setting forth a preferred embodiment of myinvention, and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved sign. I

Fig. 2 is a sectional. elevational view of the sign illustrated in Fig.1; i i

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan viewtaken at line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. '4 is a side elevational view showing a sign of modified form witha part of the sign wall broken away to illustrate more clearly thedrawing, my improved sign includes a sheet a metal housing structurecomprising horizontal top and bottom walls 5 and 6 respectively,Vertical rear wall 7, and end walls 8 having inclined forward margins S,the top, bottom and end Walls defining the forward, substantially openface of the housing structure. The plane of the open front face isinclined, sloping downwardly toward the vertical rear wall I. Inturn'edflanges llland H at the front margins of the top and end wallsrespectively border theface of the housing structure and give the same afinished, trim appearance.

Spaced inwardly from the open front face of the housing is a panel I2 onwhich the reflector plates l4, hereinafter described, are mounted. Thepanel l2 maybe of stepped surface configuration as appears from Fig. 2,the riser portions [3 receding progressively from the top to the bottomof such panel, or the panel may be substantially planar and inclined, toparallel the plane of the inclined front faceof thehousing,

' as appears from Fig. 4.

I 'Mounted on the forward surface of panel l2 are the reflectors l4,each thereof comprising an elongated plate which extends horizontallyacross the front opening of the sign. The plates M are disposed inparallel, uniformly spaced 7 relation I and where the stepped mountingpanel l2 of Fig.

2 is employed, each plate is associated with and zontal edges [6 of thereflector plates l4 lie approximately in the inclined plane of the frontface of the sign, orin an inclined plane which is parallel to, andspaced a small distance inwardly from the frontface of the sign. Thefront face I! .of panel I2, and both front and rearfaces 'I8'and [9,respectively, of the plates 1 4 are provided with [suitablelight-reflecting surfaces, preferably by a coating these surfaces reousenamel. V

The removable and interchangeable letters or sign characters are formed'of sheetmetal, fibrous or-composition;material, and have a surwithlayers of white vitface coating of black paint to enhance their contrast with the'white background by day, and with the highly illuminatedcolored background by night. The character elements 20 are provided, 1

near their upper rear-edges, with shook-like brackets'2l which areadapted to engage any of theinwardly turned flanges 22 atthe lowerextremities of the reflector plates M, or an inwardly turned flange 23at the lower'extre'mity of the horizontal: trim portion, ID. Themounting flanges 22. and 23 are preferably turned angularly upwardly andrearwardly as shown in Fig.2.

, Near the, lower inner margin of each'cha'racter element is provided amounting hook 24 which is i. adapted to engage any one of a series" ofcords or wires 25, The wires 25Iare secured at opposite ends totheend'walls 8 of the housing, and stretch horizontally'in the spacebetween each pair of adtheir mounting hooks 2| to engage and; seat overfthe flanges 22, and their lower hooks 24 'to' engage jacent reflectorplates.

7 One or :more springs 26 or other'suitable tensioning means areprovided for each of the wires 25,, which tensioning, means 1 may belocated so as to be substantiallyconcealed by the sidetrim flanges-"l I.'It will now appear ,that the character elements may be readily andquickly attached to'the sign'structure by causing the appropriate wire25."; The tensioned ,wire

7 serves to draw the lower ends of the characters inwardly-against thelower extremity of an adjacent reflector plate, securing the characterin an angular; slightly downwardly facing position 7 asshown. 1

The-sign isadapted'tobe illuminated at night by lighting tubes,preferably of the luminous dis- ;charge or neon gas variety." One ormore of the said tubes are provided for lighting, each reflector plate.The tubes extend horizontally across the face of the signand arepreferably located in the space between the upper margin of onereflector plate and the lower margin of the next'higher reflector plate.'In the present example a pair, of

lighting tubes 21 and28, are associatedwith each greflectorrplate andboth tubes areshielded from natural elements; such'as snow, hail andwater,-

by the overhanging reflector plate I8, theuppermostpair oftubesbeirigprotected bythe trim l0.

' pleasing effect.

The tube 21 may be filled with neon gas to produce the characteristicred colored light, and tube 28 may be filled with argon to produce bluecolored light. The tubes 21 and 28 are supported in any suitable mannerfrom the panel I3 or plates [8 by means of conventional insulatingmounting brackets, not shown, and the tubes are connected electricallyin any suitable manner to a transformer 29, mounted in the enclosurebetween panel l3 and rear wall'l. A suitable switch or motor-drivencommutator may be employed in the electric circuit for causing joint orindependent energization of the tubes 21 and 28 'whereby to obtain avariety of changing color It may be noted'that'when the sign thus de-- Ieffects.

scribed is mounted overhead, a part of the light from. the tubes istransmitted downwardly without interruption or reflection by the'plates13' and provides direct illumination for the, ground area below thesign. Thus the tubes are revealed to an observer within a certainlimited distance from the sign, and the combination of direct andreflected illumination, in .such instances, en-' hances theattractiveness- 0f the sign. Where;

both red'and'b lue light-producingatubes are pro? vided; as in thepresent example, the red tube is preferably positioned outwardly of theblue tube.

or in such position as to be more concealed by V plates 13 and theirflanges 22, from direct view by an observer. The softer,'glare-freelight from the blue tube 28, when viewed directly does. not

discomfort the eyes of an observer.

When illuminated by the tubes.21 and 28 the;

characters are silhouetted against the'colored, highly'illuminatedbackground having the appearance of horizontal bands of light, whichmerge, one into another, and produce a highly The color of theindividual light bands may be varied and numerous colorcomtiveness ofthe sign.

The forward reflecting surfaces'l8 of the plates 'binations obtained,increasing furtherthe effec- 3 l4 face angularly upwardly, andaccordingly are 7 in an ideal angular position to catchand'reflect lightfrom the sky or sun. Thus, during the day the louvered structureprovides a white, highly .lighted back-ground which contrasts markedly"with the black characters, which do not so readily reflect the lightbecauseof the described na-' ture'of-their color, surface, and angular.position.

'I have described and illustrated my invention asembodied in signshaving bothsteppedand inclined planarpanel members IZLan'd means of'presently preferred type for-detachably securing the sign characters tothe background structure,

features;

and other, preferred constructional However, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the particular means herein shown anddescribed, as various changes maybe I made withoutdeparting from thespirit and full intendment of theinvention asdefined by the followingclaims. a

I claim as my invention: w r 1. A-sign comprising a substantiallyupright member, a series of horizontally elongated re-.

flector plates secured, one above another, at the upper edges thereof,to said member, said plates being inclined downwardly toward their loweredges which are spaced forwardly of said memher, the lower edges of saidplates beingldisposed inan inclined'plane sloping downwardly andrearwardly, rearwardly directed flanges formed' on said platesadjacentthe lower edges thereof,

sign characters, and imeansdetachably connect:

ing the characters to said flanges with the characters disposed in thesloping plane defined by the lower edges of said plates.

2. A sign comprising a substantially upright panel of inclined trendhaving a light-reflecting forward surface, the inclination of said panelbeing downwardly and rearwardly from its upper edge, a series ofhorizontally elongated reflector plates secured in spaced relation, oneabove another, to the forward surface of said panel, said reflectorplates being inclined downwardly and forwardly away from said panel;luminous discharge tubes extending horizontally between the reflectorplates, and opaque sign characters detachably mounted adjacent theforward edges of said reflector plates. 7

3. A sign comprising a substantially upright panel of inclined trendhaving a light-reflecting forward surface, the inclination of said panelbeing downwardly and rearwardly from its upper edge, a series ofhorizontally elongated reflector plates secured in parallel, spacedrelation, one above another, to the forward surface of said panel, saidreflector plates sloping downwardly and forwardly away from said paneland having their forward edges disposed in an inclined planecorresponding to the trend of said panel; illuminating means disposedbetween the reflector plates, and sign characters detachably mounted onthe reflector plates substantially in the plane of the forward edgesthereof.

4. A sign of the character described comprising a substantially uprightpanel having vertical, stepped surfaces receding downwardly from theupper, forward margin of the panel, a series of horizontally elongatedreflector plates, each thereof being secured along its upper edge to theupper edge of one of said panel surfaces, said plates being inclineddownwardly and forwardly from its secured edge; horizontally extendingluminous discharge tubes disposed between adjacent reflector plates, andsign characters detachably secured to the forward edges of saidreflector plates.

5. A sign of the character described including a substantiallyrectangular housing structure having an open front face, a series ofelongated, horizontally extending reflector plates mounted in parallelspaced relation, one above another, within said housing structure, saidreflector plates being inclined downwardly toward the front face of thehousing structure and having their forward margins disposedsubstantially in the plane thereof; luminous discharge tubes extendinghorizontally within said housing structure, each of said tubes beingmounted between the upper and lower marginal portions of relativelyadjacent reflector plates, inwardly turned flanges formed on the lower,forward edges of said reflector plates, substantially flat, opaque signcharacters, and hook-like elements projecting from the rear faces ofsaid sign characters adapted for detachable engagement with saidreflector plate flanges.

6. A sign of the character described comprising a substantiallyrectangular housing structure having an open front face, a series ofelongated, horizontally extending reflector plates, mounted one aboveanother in parallel, spaced relation within said housing structure, saidreflector plates being inclined downwardly toward the front face of thehousing structure and having their forward margins disposedsubstantially in the plane thereof; luminous discharge tubes extendinghorizontally between said reflector plates, substantially flat, opaquesign characters, and means for detachably mounting said sign charactersadjacent the forward margins of the reflector plates, said meansincluding hook-like members projecting from the rear face of said signcharacters, and flexible, spring tensioned elements extendinghorizontally along the reflector plates, adapted for releasableengagement by said members on the sign characters.

7. A sign of the character described comprising a substantiallyrectangular casing having an open front face, an inclined panel disposedwithin said housing structure facing the open front face thereof, saidpanel sloping downwardly and rearwardly, a series of elongatedhorizontally extending reflector plates disposed, one above another,between said panel and the front face of said housing structure, saidreflector plates being inclined downwardly toward the front face of thehousing structure, the forward margins of said plates being disposed inan inclined plane substantially parallel with the plane of said panel,and having inwardly turned flanges thereon; luminous discharge tubesextending horizontally within said housing structure between upper andlower marginal portions of adjacent reflector plates, flexible,spring-tensioned members extending along said reflector plates, andflat, opaque sign character elements each having vertically spacedmounting brackets projecting from the rear faces thereof adapteddetachably to ensioned member.

RAYMOND L. MARTEN.

